Griffin impresses in victory
HARTFORD — The freaky athleticism, the crazy wing span, the ridiculous first step — they’re all topics of conversation when Aubrey Griffin’s name is brought up around the UConn women’s basketball team.
“What you’re seeing from her, other people on the team can’t do,” point guard Crystal Dangerfield said following UConn’s final exhibition game. “That’s special to have as a freshman.”
Dangerfield has seen it in practice, and she’d like for it to translate over to games on a consistent basis. Wednesday was certainly a good step, as Griffin provided a spark off the bench in a 9954 victory over Division II Trevecca Nazarene at the
XL Center.
Griffin, a fivestar freshman from Ossining, N.Y., chipped in 12 points on
5of5 shooting across 13 minutes. All of that production came in the first half, as the Huskies raced out to a
7429 lead in their final foray before the regular season.
“Aubrey, at practice, that’s who she is,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She’s every day like that. She’s not quite sure yet where to go or how to do certain things, but she’s really, really good at what she’s good at.”
Which is?
“It’s athleticism, it’s speed, it’s the ability to finish on just about anybody,” Dangerfield said.
Not all days are like that,
of course. Freshmen, even the best ones, are unpredictable. So far, though, the good days seem to have outweighed the bad for the
6foot1 wing. And that certainly bodes well for the fifthranked Huskies, who tip off the regular season against Cal on Sunday (1 p.m.) at Gampel Pavilion.
“I just went out and played. I got offensive rebounds,” said Griffin, who added four assists, three steals and three boards. “I just tried to contribute and do what I do that’s good.”
Megan Walker joined in on the fun, pacing the Huskies with a gamehigh 28 points on 11of12 shooting. The junior combined to go
21of27 over the team’s two exhibition games. Dangerfield contributed 17 points and four steals.
With only one player taller than 6feet, Trevecca Nazarene stood no chance of stopping the Huskies around the rim. The Huskies ripped off 54 points in the paint and added 29 points off turnovers.
Trevecca Nazarene — which is guided by Dangerfield’s old high school coach, Chad Hibdon — shot only 30 percent.
The Huskies got off to slow start, hitting just one of their first six shots, but found their shooting stroke during the second quarter. They went 15of17 from the floor in the quarter, during which Griffin had 10 points.
“She made a couple really good plays today passing the ball,” Auriemma said. “I say this a lot about freshmen, ‘Whatever you see today is the worst they’re ever going to look.’ They’re only going to get better. She’s got huge upside.”